Our second week with the ‘SHED’ start up team was the Discovery phase.

The weeks brief was to eventually present the findings of primary, secondary and case study research. We were handed multiple bags of research tools as well as meeting with some aptly brilliant minds.

The working team taking on case study research met with the ever cool Patrick Abrahams. Patrick is the founder of the Frome men’s SHED as well as the affable host of the ‘SHED Happens’ radio show on Frome FM. Not only did we collect the nuts and bolts of how to structure a business plan for such a project, we also discovered that Patrick himself is an invaluable library of knowledge.

At the same time, the secondary research team were engaged with the ingenious Jenny Hartnoll of Health Connections Mendip. As service lead at HCM, Jenny has helped provide a framework of person centered care. She is connecting groups, services and organisations which promote health and well being to people that need them most. The HCM alongside the Mendip Symphony project have reduced unplanned hospital admissions by 30% by means of social prescription.

We were also introduced to design thinking processes and market research tools by the excellent Edventure managing director, Johannes Moeller. His detailed presentation style feeds the academic mind and wills a creative, pragmatic direction.

DT Flow by Lucinda Orrell

Michael Matania of Tough Cookie delivered us a mindfulness and meditation workshop . The message taken from the workshop was that everyone is susceptible to negative emotional behavioral patterns. We were introduced to some practical ways to develop our own resilience. Driving

Resilience Meme by Lucinda Orrell

The meme illustrates how reactive behavior limits our opportunities to live enriched lives.

We will always have adverse conditions that challenge us. How we respond to them and what we learn creates greater awareness and an opportunity to grow.